


The Line Between the Earth and the Sky

by Kairin16



Series: The Triton's Throne [1]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Kidnapping, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2018-01-09 00:45:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairin16/pseuds/Kairin16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles meets an old acquaintance, but they're not as friendly as he remembers</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Line Between the Earth and the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Birthday present to my dear friend, Alice c:

Mysteries lying in the depths of Earth’s oceans seduced Charles with their knowledge and undiscovered potential since he was a little boy. His father, seeing the passion in his young offspring purchased a house on the edge of Pacific, with their own private beach. It was a safe space for young child to indulge in his curiosity with a chance of future more serious expedition from the dock at the end of the beach. It became a little more distant option after Brian died, leaving eight year old Charles in a care of his flighty mother. The years passed and life became a hurdle to overcome for a young Xavier heir, the support he got from his step-sister Raven not enough sometimes to keep the fire for his passions going.

Oxford was a sensible choice of for business degree and after five years in England, Charles came back to New York ready to take over his late-father’s business. Over the years, the company’s stock lost value, and Charles wouldn’t be wrong in faulting his step-father Kurt for it. He was a gentle soul though, and instead of pointing fingers, he decided to bring the company back to its previous glory. It took many long months but he succeeded in his goal. There was only one problem, unknown to Charles, his life somehow slipped through his fingers, leaving his sitting at the desk in a corner office, his chest gaping with a hollow feeling of loneliness.

His thirtieth birthday was coming up soon and instead of asking Raven to arrange a banquet like every year, he decided to take a trip up to the house he almost forgot about. It was still standing on that beach, a little worse for the wear, but clean and whole, people who were hired to keep it in order taking their responsibilities more seriously than Charles expected them to after so many years of the house standing empty. He came alone, needing that few precious weeks to reorient and find the fire that used to burn bright inside him.

The easiest way, Charles deduced, was to go sailing. He could reacquaint himself with the old friend Pacific, maybe do some diving. Better not with how many years passed since he last did that. Some swimming would have to suffice. And with any luck, he’d be able to spot some marine life, dolphins or turtles. Plan in mind, Charles went to unpack and then settled in for the night after a long day of traveling.

Nightmares started to plague him the moment his head hit the pillow, the waves of the ocean crashing against the dark sand on the beach, their sound angry and loud. It was as if Neptun himself was mad at Charles for abandoning them for so long. In the dream, he couldn’t move. He was sitting on a lonely rock somewhere between the beach and the deeper waters. As far as he could tell, there wasn’t any rope or chains that held him, just some invisible power pushing at his shoulders. Something was coming, something big and betrayed, and Charles couldn’t run, could only watch as it came closer accompanied with the inky blackness of deep ocean and then-

Waking up after a night like that left Charles shaky and irrationally scared to take his boat out, even though he knew there was nothing dangerous waiting for him there. But his shirt smelled like salt and was wetter than Charles expected it to be and that only stirred the uneasy feeling he had. He had come out here to enjoy the ocean however, and he was determined to not let night visions scare him into going back to New York and the empty life of a business tycoon.

The wind was perfect for the kind of trip he was planning, blowing into the sails with just the right strength. After deciding he was far enough from shore, but still able to see the beach on the horizon, Charles rolled the sails and took rest, breathing in the ocean air. He was right to not get scared by some dreams, he wouldn’t want to miss feeling the peace that the open waters gave him for anything. For now, he would stay on the boat, maybe read something; he didn’t have time for a good book in so long. In only few hours, the sun would heat the water enough that the swim would be more pleasurable than it was now.

It took him an hour for the feeling of being watched to set in. The needles in the back of his neck kept getting worse to the point when he had to look around every few minutes just to calm his mind. Eventually, Charles gave up on his book and went to the railing, trying to spot whoever might be observing him. Maybe it was a nearby boat he didn’t notice before. There was nothing he could see though, and if he couldn’t see them, they shouldn’t be able to see him.

A loud splash to his right made him jump a little and look that way in panic. There were waves ringing out in one place, indicating that something indeed went under there, but Charles could not see what exactly it could be. Hands shaking, he went back to his chair and picked up his book, trying to focus on the words on the page. He couldn’t focus and unwelcomed came to him memories of the dreams he used to have as a young boy when he visited the house with Brian.

The dreams always had similar feel to the nightmare he had yesterday, but they were more peaceful, happy. The ocean was always welcoming, the sun shining brightly over its waves and soft voice calling out to Charles, becoming him deeper into the waters. The flash of dark blue scales and warm eyes and then he always woke up, his clothes soggy as if the dream was a reality that he couldn’t perceive. During the day, Brian was always close by, making sure Charles didn’t go too far away from the beach, no matter how inviting the water was.

The boat lurched and Charles yelled, his book flying away from his hand. Hearth in his throat, he went to go to the cabin, planning to use the engines instead of sails to get back to the shore quicker. He knew he had no time left, but how he knew that and why did it terrify him so much, he didn’t know. Before he could reach the door though, the boat lurched again and he fell against the side of the railing, breath knocked out of his chest.

Before he could get his feet back under him, a pair of strong arms grabbed him and pulled him down into the murky depths of the Pacific. No time to scream, Charles closed his mouth tightly shut, determined not to drown on his own birthday. Then there were lips pressing against his and the surprise was enough for Charles to open his eyes. The pair of green eyes looking steadily up at him was familiar enough to make him gasp and before Charles could panic at his mistake something was pushing into his mouth, and then suddenly he could breathe.

The arms weren’t pulling anymore, but instead holding him tightly to a strong chest and after getting over a fact that he miraculously somehow could breathe underwater, Charles got enough of a mind to look around them. It was just ocean, like in every documentary he’s ever seen. The only difference was a man, a creature holding him. The hands and the chest were clearly human, but from the hips down it had a shiny tail, the midnight coloured scales sparkling in the sunlight filtering through water.

For some reason, Charles felt a little detached, as if everything was just a dream, and it took him a moment to finally get back to being scared. He wanted to trash, to get away from the siren, the mermaid? He wanted to get back on his boat and leave and never return, but there was something holding him in place, some unseen power, the same he felt that night in a dream. Charles should have listened to the universe when it tried to warn him.

“It’s alright.” The man whispered into his ear, and the silky voice was enough to calm Charles back down. He felt drugged, floating. “You left me, but I forgive you, my gorgeous prince. I won’t let go of you again.”

The siren pulled again and Charles was helpless but to follow. The deeper they went, the less sunlight was there, but after a few minutes in darkness it became light again. There was a city, a real miracle of architecture, on the ocean floor, shining like a beacon. Charles couldn’t help but wonder how did humans miss this? Someone had to find it before.

The question became irrelevant when they breached the borders of the metropolis and the siren stopped to let Charles look around at everything. There were lips on his again, gentle and warm, kissing back was an automatic reflex, one that felt better than any other kiss Charles shared in his life. It must have been some magic, because the moment the siren leant back, Charles fell limp, darkness of unconsciousness consuming him.


End file.
